


Living To Death

by lma88



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 1938, World War II, historical fiction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-21 13:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2470484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lma88/pseuds/lma88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy and Rory attempt their new lives in New York circa 1938. Stuck in a world where men aren't allowed to join nursing school and Hitler is named 'Man of The Year' by Time magazine; can these two survive their futures in the past?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. September 1938

Rory found himself in the middle of Times Square, abuzz with electric lights. It was the night of the 23rd of September 1938. He looked around through the traffic and the crowds of people in search of Amy. He tried to recall the tombstone he’d seen. He couldn't remember if Amy’s name was next to his. He didn’t care if he never got back home again as long as Amy was buried beside him at that gravesite. He prayed to the angels to bring her to him. 

Rory stayed in Times Square all night until the sun rose of the morning of the 24th. He started walking towards Central Park. Maybe Amy left with The Doctor and left him to live to death just like last time. If Amy was sent back to 1938 with him and she wasn’t in Central Park then she’d more than likely be waiting at the cemetery. After waiting in Central Park for hours, Rory figured it was his last shot. He arrived at the cemetery around 3pm and Amy was nowhere to be found. Over 24 hours without sleep was getting to him and Rory felt himself nodding off. He resigned himself to sleeping on a bench at the edge of the cemetery. 

Amy found herself on the corner of 7th Ave. and West 125th. The clock by the shoe shop said it was a quarter to 4pm. It was September 24th 1938 and she seemed to be standing out of the crowd in her tight blue jeans. People were giving her the eye. Amy was only mildly aware of the stares, she was busy looking for her husband. The angels had to have sent him to the same time, they just had to. She figured maybe they had just taken him to another part of town. 

She’d try Central Park first with no luck. She asked around if anyone had seen a tall, disoriented-looking thin man walking around the park but there seemed to be a great deal of homeless people fitting that very description. It was half past 5pm when Amy finally made it to the cemetery. She wandered around ready to give up hope until she noticed a familiar pair of shoes peeking out from a makeshift blanket fashioned out of newspaper. 

“Rory!” She ran to him and woke him up. 

He shot up and gasped noticing Amy. “I thought, I’d lost you!” He kissed her passionately.

“How long have you been here?” Amy asked as she looked at her severely disheveled husband. 

“The angels dropped me off in the middle of Times Square last night.” He groaned as he attempted to stand. 

“I only just got here 2 hours ago. You’ve been sleeping on a bench all this time?” Amy looked worried. “Where are we going to stay, Rory? I don’t... I don’t think he’s coming back.. The Doctor said this was a fixed point now. There’s so many paradoxes that it would rip New York apart if he tried to come here again.” Amy’s eyes were beginning to water. 

“Well, we’ve ripped apart the universe so many times I’ve lost count” Rory’s droll reply made Amy chuckle through her tears. 

They tried to hitch a ride on the subway but the tunnels were closed due to flooding. 

“Flooding?” Amy asked. “Was there some kind of storm?” 

“Are you trying to be funny? Cuz that ain’t the least bit funny” A construction worker who’d come up from the tunnel below gave her a stern look. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you it’s better to be seen, not heard?” 

“What?” Amy’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

“I said, you’re really pretty but don’t go ruining it by pretending you’re smart.” The man replied

“Give me your shovel.” Amy walked towards him. “I’m about to knock some sense into that Neanderthal brain of yours.” 

“Whoa, Amy.” Rory lunged in front of his wife. “Just relax... this is no time to fly off the handle, right?” 

“I can’t do this, Rory! I can’t do this!” Amy yelled and punched Rory’s shoulder in frustration. “I gotta get out of here.”

“Ouch” Rory braced himself. 

The man laughed. “You need to learn to control your woman.” 

“And you need to learn some manners.” Rory turned around and shot back. “Now we’re obviously not from around here and we’re not entirely sure what’s going on so just tell us what’s happened.” 

“Hurricane came through on the 21st. Hundreds are dead and plenty more injured.” The man hung his head mournfully. 

“Where’s the nearest hospital in need of assistance? I could help.” Rory asked. 

“Are you a doctor?” The man suddenly changed his tone. “I’m sorry about disrespecting you, sir. It was just...” 

“You owe my wife the apology, not me.” Rory was dead serious. 

“Sorry, miss” The man bowed. “And to answer your question. There’s St. Vincent’s.” 

As they walked to 7th Avenue Amy tried to stop Rory. “You think you can just walk into the hospital and say ‘Hi, I’m a time travelling nurse from the future and I heard you might be needing some assistance.’ And they’re just going to give you a job on the stop?”

“What have we got left to lose?” Rory shrugged. “If we’re stuck here then we might as well make the most of it.” 

Rory was met with some confusion but there was such a shortage of nurses they allowed him to stay. But not without a lot of grumbling. “The American Nurses Association doesn’t even allow men to join.” One of the nurses scoffed. 

“Good thing I’m not an American then” Rory shot back as he got to work. 

Amy wasn’t sure what she ought to do with herself. Back home she was a writer and a model. She couldn’t seem to find a job as quickly as Rory did but at least now they had something. He’d been working at St. Vincent’s for a little over a month but nursing didn’t earn much. All they could get their hands on was a tiny, rundown flat in the middle of Brooklyn.


	2. Only The Beginning

As October rolled in, the air got colder and they had to keep the stove on to warm the house some nights. Amy was beginning to contact different publishers about working as a typist or editor or just anything. She'd finally started getting the hang of writing on the old typewriter without all the letters getting jumbled up at once. She still missed those 21 century comforts and wasn't sure if she'd ever stop missing them.

Rory was never very big on Twitter updates or selfies. And besides the fact that he was the only male nurse in his entire hospital, he seemed to be at home in the past. Rory loved those ridiculous old Laurel and Hardy comedies that made Amy fall asleep and he'd always been the 'traditional' sort. But in the 30's he was the modern sort and Amy was even more of an oddball than she was back home.

Amy would spend her days writing her stories while Rory went to work. The story of a little girl who meets a mysterious man with no name, known simply as The Curator. And a boy who spends 2,000 years trying to keep his girl safe. She spent weeks sending it to different publishers and after a month of nothing, a bite from a little publishing company picked up her story.

Their neighborhood in Brooklyn grew more and more crowded as immigrants from Eastern Europe continued to pour in. They were mostly families of Jews running away from the growing hate campaign set against them. Rich and poor alike found themselves cramming into tiny flats. Amy and Rory stuck out as obvious gentiles but they were from Great Britain so many assumed they were running away from the Nazis too. Even though the Blitz wouldn't hit London for another 2 years and the draft wouldn't start till next year, they were already starting to feel the grip of the Nazis tightening around them on that little island.

"My entire practice was burned to the ground." A displaced doctor by the name of Bachmann recounted the story of his woes to Rory on the steps outside their building.

"I've been through my share of misfortune but I cannot even begin to contemplate the things your family's going through." Rory looked down at the concrete sidewalk and thought for a moment about all the things to come. He remembered pulling The Pandorica out of the rubble in 1940. There was so much bloodshed still to come. "If it's any consolation, you're out just in time. This is only the beginning." Rory added. "You might face some struggles here too but Europe's about to fall into the biggest war this world has ever seen." Rory meant to give him comfort but came off more like an end-of-days sidewalk prophet.

"Look at our history. It seems like we were made to suffer." The doctor chuckled but quickly turned serious and whispered. "I'm not sure I know who I am anymore. I don't think I believe in God. If he is real, why would he do this?"

"I wish I knew how to reaffirm your faith but I'm on the same boat as you. Just don't let anyone at work know that." Rory laughed. "They already think I'm a little crazy. Best to not let the sisters at St. Vincent's know I'm also a godless heathen."

The doctor laughed and put his arm around Rory's shoulder. "I like you, Williams. You come anytime to my home. You're more than welcome. The door is open to you for supper anytime."

"Thank you. I love my wife but she's a terrible cook." Rory missed microwaves.

Dr. Bachmann laughed. "She's welcome to join too." He paused for a moment. "Um, I hope I am not intruding to ask, but was your wife once a model? She looks like a model I've seen."

Rory laughed. "She used to model but she left the business some time ago. Wanted to focus on her writing."

"Rory!" Amelia yelled from across the street and ran up towards them with a beaming smile on her face. "They loved it! I'm getting published!" She jumped as she squealed with joy.

Rory scooped her up in a big hug a twirled her around. "Amy, I'm so proud of you." He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Let's celebrate." Amy grabbed her husband's hand and dragged him up the stairs back to their flat.

Some of the guys from the building gathered round Dr. Bachmann when the Williams' had left. "So, it is her?" One of them asked.

"He said she was indeed a model but he called her 'Amy'." The doctor replied.

"Well, maybe it's a nickname"

"I don't think it's her. I believe she is American, not Scottish."

"But the picture looks so much like her, yes?" The men chatted.

"Maybe you all shouldn't be looking at those old dirty pictures!" Mrs. Bachmann chimed in.

"It's not a dirty picture. It's art."

"Yeah" The men all agreed.

"Well, I'm sure all your wives would love to see this 'art' you've been looking at." Mrs. Bachman scoffed. "You all need to leave them alone and mind your own business. You gossip more than the women!" She signaled for her husband to come upstairs and Dr. Bachmann obeyed.

For days after, Rory had noticed some people in the building kept getting his wife's name wrong and decided maybe Amy knew something about it. They were getting ready for bed when he mentioned it. "I've noticed everyone keeps calling you Alice, Alice Wilkie. Do you think it's a language barrier thing or...?"

"Wait, what? Did you say they thought I was Alice Wilkie?" Amy smiled. "Rory, she's a burlesque performer for the Ziegfeld Follies. Want me to recreate some of her more famous poses for you." Amelia began to unbutton her night gown.

"Wait, she poses nude? So the neighbors think you pose for nudes?" Rory started pacing nervously. "Bachmann said you looked like a model he'd seen before. He's seen your nudes"

"Rory, don't be ridiculous, it isn't actually me." Amelia chuckled and began to unbutton her nightgown again. "You know I only pose like that for you."


	3. Parton Saint of Travelers

The lack of modern supplies and medical advancements in 1938 was wearing Rory down at work. Not being able to care for patients properly due to ignorance of future developments in the medical field wasn't the fault of anyone at the hospital but Rory still got frustrated from time to time.

"Doctor, I'm worried. I've lost one before." A young woman by the name of Shirley Baker tried to hold back tears.

"Bleeding a little isn't too uncommon. Have you been feeling any abdominal pain?" Rory asked as he put a hand on the woman's stomach.

"I've been getting cramps but it's too early for that. Right, Doctor." She replied, her eyes wide with worry.

"I'm a nurse actually." He replied.

"But you're a man." The woman looked surprised.

"Yes, very well spotted." He chuckled. "Now if you can give me an idea of the level of pain on a scale from one to ten, ten being the worst."

"I think 6... I guess..." She gasped as she felt herself bleeding more than before.

"Doctor!" Rory ran out of the room and yelled down the hall. "We need a doctor in here now!"

The modern incubator as Rory knew it was still in it's infancy but they had managed to salvage what they could for the time being. "Her name is Mary" The mother spoke softly in her bed. "Can I see her now?"

"Mary's resting now and you need your rest too." Rory checked her pulse on her wrist while he looked at his watch. "You're lucky, you and Mary made it. But she's still very delicate. She's going to have to stay here for a few weeks. She can't breath on her own yet but she's fine, I checked."

Two days passed and everything seemed to be running smoothly until Shirley heard the bad news. It had all happened so suddenly that there was nothing the nurses in the nursery could do. Rory had just walked in to work as the worst part started.

He heard screaming and things crashing. Doctors yelling down the hall. "Get a sedative! She's hysterical!" Rory ran down the hall to the room where all the commotion was coming from. "Williams, glad you're here. These women can't hold her down. Give me a hand, will you?"

Shirley had thrown equipment all over the place and scared some of the other nurses away. A sister stood in the corner with the rosary wrapped around her fingers. "What's happened?" Rory asked as he took Shirley by her wrists and tried to calm her down.

"She's gone! You said she was fine!" Shirley yelled and tried to push Rory away but he had a firmer grip then the other nurses had. "Let me go!"

"I'm so sorry, Shirley. I'm so sorry" Rory's eyes met hers. "I know what you're feeling and I'm so sorry but you have to calm down for me, please."

"I failed her! How do you know what that feels like?! You can't ever understand what I'm feeling!" Shirley broke free from Rory's grasp. "You've never felt a life growing inside you and then having that life taken away from you!"

Rory's eyes worked their hardest to hold back tears. "Ok... You're right. I don't know what that's like. But I know what it's like to feel like you've failed. But I was a father once. I lost my baby too and I'm never going to see her again. You have every right to be angry and you can cry and kick and scream and throw whatever you want! You have every right to grieve but so do I, Amy!" Rory stopped and tried to regain his composure. "I'm sorry..I... Just.. promise me... Promise, you won't let this turn you bitter. Don't let it steal your joy away forever. You can survive this, Shirley."

"How long until I don't feel the pain anymore?" Shirley whispered.

"When you find out you let me know" Rory replied.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Shirley gave him a hug and sat back down as she wiped her tears from her eyes.

"I've got the sedative!" A nurse came running into the room.

"That won't be necessary, dear." The sister in the corner stepped forward. "It seems our male nurse has everything under control."

Shirley asked to be alone for a moment and Rory left the room with the sister not far behind. "I must say that you've surprised me, Mr. Williams." Sr. Constance gave the male nurse a half smile. "When I heard they'd hired a man I had my reservations. I didn't think you belonged here."

"You wouldn't be the first" Rory looked down at the cold white tiles in the hallway as he spoke.

"But look there." The sister pointed to a picture hanging on the wall. "Saint Raphael, the patron saint of travelers and healers, and male as far as I can tell. You're a healer, Rory Williams and you've traveled a long way to get here. But never forget you've got an angel looking out for you."

"You have no idea." Rory chuckled.

After a long day at the hospital, Rory was glad to come home in the middle of the night to Amy clicking away at her typewriter by candlelight.

"Look, I finally got some new glasses." Amy stood up and greeted her husband with a hug. "Now I can blame the headaches I get from reading my manuscripts on how terrible they are instead of the size of the font."

Rory laughed. "They like your story, Amy. Or else they wouldn't be so interested in you revising it."

"Right, thanks" Amy smiled and planted a big kiss on her husband's lips. "How was work."

"Well, a nun told me angels were watching over me." Rory took off his coat and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Nice" Amy scoffed as she walked with the candle in hand over to the nightstand by the bed. "It's been 3 months. It's going to be 1939 soon. What happens in 1939?"

"Umm... well.." Rory tried to recall. "Last time I was in 1939 I didn't get out much but I think Gone With The Wind is comes out next year."

"The Nazi's are going to take over Czechoslovakia, then Poland... They're going to start opening camps soon..." Amy remembered her history classes. "Things are about to get worse out there."


	4. Cafe Society

"Will you hurry it up!" Amy ran towards the nightclub doors with her husband's hand in hers. They walked in and grabbed a seat at a table in the back. Cafe Society was the only fully integrated club in New York.

The backwards concept of 'separate but equal' was something Amy and Rory had a terrible time remembering at first. Amy had walked into a market, right up to a man by a stand of grapes. "Which do you prefer? The red grapes or white grapes?" She asked the man.

He stood looking a bit wide eyed with confusion and chuckled nervously. "I ... um... I guess the red one's ma'am." He smiled.

"Yeah, you're right." Amy grabbed a bag of red grapes. She noticed the cashier look at her funny when she went to checkout but shrugged it off. "Hello, again." She smiled as she saw the man again outside the store.

"You're not from here are you?" He stood at a safe distance with his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

"I'm Scottish." Amy replied.

"I don't know about how things work over there but if people see me talking to you too much people might not like it, you know." He looked over her shoulder at an approaching police officer.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" The officer asked eyeing the man.

"Uh... yeah..." Amy looked confused.

"Yes, sir. She said her bags were so heavy. She asked if I would be so kind as to help her carry her things." The man tipped his hat.

"I'll help you, miss." The officer took some bags from her and hailed a taxi for her. She turned around and the man she'd been speaking to had disappeared.

"Thanks but I really didn't need help." Amy chuckled.

"I figured he was lying. You can't ever trust 'em. He might have told you he'd help with your bags but I'll bet he was out to rob you or worse." The officer opened the taxi door for her. "You shouldn't shop around here. It's too dangerous for a girl as pretty as you with the likes of them around."

It wasn't until she sat down and the cop closed the door behind her that she realized what had happened. She'd started a friendly conversation with a black man in broad daylight in the middle of the street. She never went back there but not for her own safety. It was that man who was in danger, not her. She was so happy to have finally found a place where she didn't have to worry so much about what was acceptable in the world she was now living in. The Cafe Society was for the forward-thinking jazz cats of New York City. They were her kind of people.

"Just think, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, some of the biggest names started out right here." Amy shuffled excitedly in her seat. "I didn't catch who's performing tonight. Did you?"

"Nope, but I'd love to see Lena." Rory replied.

"Oh, I'm sure you would." Amy rolled her eyes. "In that hot Brazilian belly dancer number, right?"

"My interest in her is purely for her talent." Rory took a sip of his beer and hid a shy smile behind his mug. "Besides, I don't think she's made that movie yet, give it a few years."

"If there's one good thing about being stuck here, it's the chance to catch all the concerts and movie premiers we want. We'll know way in advance! Damn... we'll be in our 70's before we can see Star Wars again." Amy tried to block the troubling thought from her mind. "People who say they want to know the future are idiots. Not knowing is easy, it's knowing the worst is about to happen and knowing you can't do anything to stop it that's hard."

"I've been stuck on the slow path before." Rory replied. "Imagine 2,000 years worth of history unfolding in front of you... and you have a plastic hand that doubles as a gun." He chuckled.

"Oh, my God!" Amy grabbed her husband's hand as she saw the musicians come to the stage. "It's Billie Holiday! I haven't been this excited since I met Nefertiti. No, since I met Van Gogh."

"You met Vincent Van Gogh? How have you not told me about this?" Rory asked surprised.

"You didn't exist then, it was after you died. You hadn't reappeared in my mind as a Roman Centurion yet." Amy stopped to think about what she'd said. "We have to be careful. If anyone were ever to eavesdrop on us, we'd be sent to an asylum for sure." She joked.

Suddenly a hush fell over the cafe and the lights all dimmed, save for a single spotlight on Billie's face. A melancholy piano played out a long introduction with a pair of muted trumpets before she began to sing. "Southern trees bear a strange fruit."

"Oh my god..." Rory whispered. This was it, they were witnessing the first performance of the first protest song of the 20th century. Nearly 25 years before the civil rights movement of the 60's, Billie Holiday was crying out against the brutal lynch mobs and inequality of the races at a time where she could have easily been killed for speaking such words aloud. But Billie was no shrinking violet.

"Strange fruit swinging from the poplar trees.." Billie sang as Amy covered her mouth in shock. "... the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth.." She sang as silent tears fell from Rory's eyes. "...here is a strange and bitter crop..." Her voice rang out through the silence as she finished her song and all the spotlights went dark.

The lights came back up and there wasn't a sound to be heard. Everyone stood still as if the air were a thin sheet of glass. It was Amy who broke the silence as she slowly began to clap, others followed suit. After a moment, the busy sounds of muffled chatter and clinking cutlery resumed as usual.


	5. Doctor Williams

The last months of 1939 came and ripped the world apart. The Allied Forces declared war on the Nazi's while the U.S. stood firm in it's neutrality.

"Idiots!" Amy threw the newspaper to the ground. "They think they're so wonderful, they paint themselves as a heroic nation. They were more than willing to turn a blind eye to the bloodshed until it actually affected them."

"Pearl Harbor isn't for another 2 years." Rory put his arms around him wife. "We can't change the course of history but we can help in our own small way." Rory paused for a moment. "They'll need medics."

"No no no!" Amy pushed herself away from Rory. "Don't you dare! The draft may be starting in Britain but you're an American citizen now, a safe, neutral American citizen! I'm not letting you willingly fly into a war zone."

"I won't die. My tombstone said..." Rory was cut off.

"You don't know that for sure. Time can be rewritten." Amy yelled. "How many times do you honestly think you can cheat death?"

"Alright then what do you suggest we do?" Rory shot back. "You're more than willing to criticize the lack of support for the war effort until it actually affects you."

"Don't you dare use my own words against me!" Amy rolled up her newspaper into a baton and whacked Rory with it. "I can't... I can't do it. If I lose you again..." She started tearing up. "Don't make me go through this again. Promise me you'll stay away from this war."

"I can't just sit by and not help." Rory sighed.

"You're helping here. You help people everyday at the hospital. Those patients need you, I need you." Amy paused to collect herself. She was trying not to cry. "And before you say anything else, yes, I'm selfish. Sorry not all of us were blessed with your martyr's complex."

"At least I don't resort to name calling when I feel insecure about myself." Rory was angry but not usually the sort to raise his voice.

Amy on the other hand got louder and louder. "No, when you're insecure you look for someone weaker to save to make yourself feel important!"

"If I wanted someone weaker than me, you honestly think I would have married you?" Rory was still angry but he was reaching for Amy's hand. She let him take it but flinched a little at first.

"I'm not stronger than you." Amy's voice lost the power it once had. She let her head fall on Rory's shoulder.

He rocked her back and forth in his arms. "You may have a point though.." Rory whispered. "I might suffer from a martyr's complex ... Are we still angry?" He asked.

Amy shrugged. "Maybe a little."

Rory took a sigh of relief. "Good, the marriage counselor said we should always go to bed angry, right?" He joked.

"Are you inviting me to bed?" Amy put her arms around her husband. "I think you like when I get angry, don't you? You rile me up on purpose, get me all hot and bothered, then trick me into make-up sex."

Rory blushed. "Sshh, the walls in this flat are paper thin, Amy. We're going to scare the new neighbors."

"Well then they already heard us fighting so what difference does a little extra noise make?" She walked him over to the bed. "Let's make the neighbors jealous."

Lucky for the neighbors, Amy's novel, "Summer Falls" flew off the shelves that Christmas. So Amy and Rory acquired enough money to move out of the old flat in the slums and into the ritzier side of town in time to ring in the the new year. It was strange suddenly being thrust into an upper class world. It almost made them forget all the chaos raining down on the rest of the world.

They felt a slight sense of guilt for having such good luck in one of the worst times in history. Amelia Williams was getting more and more offers to write more children's books and Rory was given the opportunity for a promotion. He was reluctant to turn in the title of nurse for doctor at first. It felt strange when Amy called him Doctor, like they were playing the old dress up games they played as kids. He sometimes worried Amy was subconsciously talking to The Doctor instead of him.

"Good evening, Doctor Williams." Amelia threw him a copy of the day's paper.

"Mrs. Williams" Rory nodded with a smile as he sat at the kitchen table to read the news. "Churchill's officially Prime Minister now."

"I told you I met him a couple of times, right?" Amy struggled a little with the corkscrew as she tried to open a bottle of Merlot.

"Was this before or after I didn't exist?" Rory asked without looking up from the paper.

"Before..." Amelia was interrupted by the satisfying pop of the cork finally busting loose. "But after the star whale." She began to pour a glass for herself and offered one to Rory.

"No thank you." Rory put down the paper and looked out at the misty orange dusk outside the window. It drove him mad how well he could hold a grudge. So many years and so many adventures later, the thought that Amy went off without him still hurt a little. He knew how stupid it was to feel so emotional about something that happened over a decade ago. Or something that wouldn't happen for another 70 years, give or take. And it drove him mad how easily Amy could detach all emotion from it. He followed her lead and pretended to feel indifferent. "On second thought, pour me a glass" Rory sighed. "Third thought... just leave the the bottle."

Amy laughed. "Rough day at work?" She began to rub his shoulders and kissed him gently on the neck.

"Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to know exactly what you need to cure someone but you can't because the things you need haven't even been invented yet?" Rory reached over and grabbed the glass of wine. "It feels like my hands are tied. People have died that I could have saved."

"Don't you ever blame yourself." Amy quickly wagged a finger at his face. "Don't you dare. You give your all, I know you do and that's all anyone can ask for." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Mr. Abelmen came by just last week to thank you for all you did. Remember what he said?"

"She left in peace and with dignity." Rory recalled what the widower had said to him, how the man shook Rory's hand with fragile, trembling fingers. "I gave her peace, he said." Rory whispered.

"And dignity." Amy knelt down in front of him as he sat at the kitchen table, taking his hands in hers. She kissed his hands softly. "And don't you ever forget it."


	6. Alice

"It's September 2nd." Amy looked solemnly at the calendar on their kitchen wall. "Five more days.." She shuffled nervously.

Rory didn't say much, he simply shook his head and went on reading the paper. He'd been through the Blitz before. He carried Amy in the Pandorica out of the fire and rubble. He was afraid if he spoke any words on the matter aloud that it would flood his mind with memories he'd rather just keep inside. Having multiple realities playing in his head at once gave him the most terrible headaches.

That seemed to be all they did now, stare at the calendar and countdown the days until the next disaster. "It's December 6th" Amy bit at her nail nervously. She stayed home December 7th, knowing it would be chaos and panic in the streets when the news of Pearl Harbor finally hit. Rory dealt with the panic at the hospital.

"They'll be attacking civilians next! They'll be aiming for the big cities, I'll bet New York is on the list." A fellow Doctor by the name of Kelly threw his news paper on the coffee table in the break room. "We'll be the next London Bl... Sorry..." He stopped suddenly remembering where Rory came from.

"We won't be." Rory replied quietly. "The Axis powers will never reach New York."

"I would ask how you're so damn sure but you always seem wildly accurate about your predictions. Whenever you decide to retire from medicine, you could go into fortune telling." Dr. Kelly laughed loudly at his own joke.

Rory chuckled quietly. "Knowing the future is highly overrated." He grabbed a mug from a cabinet over the pot of coffee Kelly had just made but he never got a chance to drink.

"Dr. Williams, you're needed in the pediatric ward." A voice from an intercom cut his break short. A young girl of about eleven years old by the name of Alice, was recovering from the measles. She'd asked for Rory specifically since the other doctors seemed to make her nervous.

"I know you said I'd be going back home soon but I think I might be getting sick again." Alice added a nice fake cough for a final touch.

Rory couldn't help but smile. "You've been stuck in here for over a week. If I were you, I'd be ready to go home."

"But I'm sick, honest!" Alice placed her hand over her forehead. "Feel how hot I am."

Rory played along and placed his hand on her forehead. "Wow... you're right. I'm surprised you're alive!"

"Really!?" Alice gasped.

"No, you're fine." Rory chuckled. "Why are you trying to lie to me, Alice?"

"I don't want to go home." She whispered.

"Why wouldn't you want to go home?" Rory kneeled down by her bed.

"I'd rather stay here with you." She whispered again. She took out a book from underneath her pillow. "Thanks for letting me read your book. I love it."

Rory laughed. "Thank my wife, she wrote it. And it's all yours."

"Gee whiz!" Alice beamed. "I wish I could meet her! Maybe you could have her stop by and meet me here in the hospital."

"She hates hospitals but who knows..." Rory smiled.

"Please, Doctor Williams! A dying girl's wish." She looked up with big dewy eyes.

"Alice, you're not dying but I definitely applaud the effort. Your 'innocent little girl' act would give Judy Garland a run for her money." Rory chuckled. "Besides, I heard your father's already on his way to pick you up."

"I don't want to go with him, he's the worst" Alice pouted and crossed her arms defiantly. "He said I'm ugly." Alice added the last bit in all seriousness, there was no exaggeration in her voice that time. She looked out the window with a melancholy stare before turning back around with a smile on her face. "Do you really think I'm as pretty as Judy Garland, Doctor Williams?" Her eyes sparkled. "I don't like my daddy. I wish you were my daddy instead."

Rory smiled weakly. He'd wanted to much to be a father, to hear a child call him 'daddy.' but he also worried about Alice. The way she spoke about her father, she wasn't lying about the way he treated her. Rory feared there could be even more that she wasn't telling him but he wasn't sure how to ask. "Has your dad ever hurt you in any way?"

Alice shrugged, "Sometimes I get a spanking when I'm bad."

Rory had a hard time dealing with the fact that parenting in the 1940's considered spanking to be quite normal. "Well, try to act your best. I'm sure he means well." Rory gave Alice a pat on the shoulder as he stood up. "Go ahead and get dressed. You can't be going home in that hospital gown." Rory left the room for 15 minutes to check on another patient down the hall before making his way towards Alice's room again. He saw a big, brawny man with large, rough hands taking her by the arm.

"Quit fighting and lets go." He pulled her arm toward him while she fought him.

"I have to say goodbye to the doctor!" Alice tried loosening her father's grip on her wrist.

"Don't be stupid. Bet he's glad to be rid of you!" Her father scoffed as he forced her arm back into his grasp and started walking with her down the hall.

"Doctor!" Alice saw Rory at the end of the hall and pushed her father away to give Rory a hug.

"Sorry about her, Doctor." Alice's father quickly took her hand again. "Little brat can be a real handful. Hope she didn't give you too much trouble."

"She wasn't any trouble at all." Rory smiled at Alice. "How's your arm?" He asked her.

"It's fine." Alice looked scared to answer, afraid to confess that it hurt in front of her father.

Rory walked to her father and looked him in the eye. "If I ever see her in here again with a bruise, it better not be by your hand or so help me, I will have you arrested. I may not have had the privilege of raising a child of my own but I've noticed they respond a whole lot better when they don't feel berated and threatened every other second. Try treating her more like a human being and maybe she'll stop giving you so much trouble."

With a tight lip, Alice's father quietly took his daughters hand and quickly walked away. Rory hoped for the best, he hated the idea of letting Alice go with him but there was nothing more he could do. Alice was too smart a girl for a brute like her father, she deserved something better. If there was anything about the future he wanted to know, it was to know that Alice turned out alright in the end. He'd rather know that than know the horrors of the war still to come.


	7. Do You Ever Miss Rock And Roll?

Amy started popping by the hospital more regularly now that her books had become such a big hit. It really cheered up the ailing children to meet the writer behind their favorite stories. Deep down Amy hated hospitals, rooms filled with death and disease. But she stuck it out for the sake of the kids.

"That's your wife?" Dr. Kelly whispered to Rory as they watched Amy walking down the hall towards them.

"Yeah." Rory smiled.

"Caught yourself a real looker." Kelly laughed. "Too bad about those trousers she's wearing, makes her look a bit manish. I'll bet those legs look great in a skirt. Can't understand how that style's suddenly catching on. I know women are joining the war effort and that's lovely. But do all women have to start looking like men now? If I wanted to marry a man, I'd marry a man." Kelly laughed again as he usually found himself to be quite hilarious.

Amy walked up to them and smiled. "Gentlemen?" She nodded. "What are you going on about?" She looked at Kelly.

Before Kelly could answer, Rory cut in knowing Kelly was about to lie. Rory couldn't wait to see what Amy would say. "We were just having a little discussion about fashion." Rory explained. "Kelly hear says those trousers make you look a bit manish." Rory smiled as he saw her take the bait.

"Well, I say get with the times, Kelly. This is the latest fashion in Hollywood now, Katherine Hepburn wears trousers and Lauren Bacall... Wait, is she famous yet?" Amy looked at Rory who shrugged not knowing the answer.

"Oh yeah, great. He-Woman Hepburn." Kelly rolled his eyes. "That's the new modern woman. Tell me, if women start wearing the pants then what do you need us for?"

"Well, Dr Kelly. Maybe you're on to something there. Maybe women don't actually need you." Amy sarcastically retorted.

"Are you not going to do something about this?" Kelly looked wide eyed at Rory Williams who was holding back a snicker.

"What can I do? Ever since she started wearing the pants I've lost all control of her. It's outrageous." Rory started chuckling, unable to hold it in anymore.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Unlike lesser men, Rory here isn't afraid of a woman who does as she pleases. What is it about a woman who carries herself with authority that scares you so much, Kelly? Maybe it's the sudden realization that the world doesn't revolve around you." With that, Amelia Pond flipped her hair and walked off like she used to on the runway, heels powerfully clicking away.

"I really do love it when she does that." Rory smiled.

"When she emasculates people? Is that what gets you off, Williams?" Kelly crossed his arms angrily.

"I love when she gets passionate about something and it's like... she's so hot when she's angry...you know?" Rory was half talking to Kelly and half thinking aloud. "Sometimes I stoke the fire on purpose. Not so much that she throws expensive vases at me again just..."

"Again?!" Kelly's eyes widened.

Rory continued, lost in his own train of thought. "Just angry enough for her to throw me up against the wall a little bit. I hope she's still upset about this when I get home. It's like this powerful, concentrated rage that's just ... God, I should really not be talking to you about this." Rory snapped out of his fantasy to remember he was still in fact at work talking to Dr. Kelly.

"Well, I never pegged you as the sadomasochistic type, Williams. I'll give you that." Kelly patted his coworker's back. "Good luck tonight. Just promise you'll get back to work in one piece, we're understaffed as it is." Kelly chuckled as he walked away.

Rory chuckled a little nervously. Kelly wasn't the sort to keep his mouth shut. Rory dreaded the thought of every surgeon and orderly catching wind of his private life. It was a Catholic hospital and the nuns there had already begun to sniff him out as a nonbeliever. Heaven only knew what would happen if the nuns heard such a scandalous tale. It was lucky for Rory that he was so likeable and so great at his job, or he might have been sacked ages ago.

Amy was restless in the 1940's and began to spend a great deal of her time avoiding the news. Months of depressing updates about the war had her wallowing in bed for days. "When is the war going to end?" She sighed as she turned the dial in search of happier news on the radio.

"You know, I can't remember." Rory sat beside her. "I guess we're just going to have to figure out when the war ends the old fashioned way."

"Are you starting to forget the future? Sometimes I feel like I am and it's a little terrifying." She sat up in bed. She turned the dial on the radio and and finally caught what sounded like the beginning of a peaceful song and resigned herself to leaving it there. "I hate this dull music. Do you ever miss rock and roll?"

Rory laughed and stood up. "Come here, this is a good one." He extended his hands in an invite to dance.

"Sound's like a slow song. Feeling romantic, are we?" Amy smiled as she accepted Rory's invitation. They slowly started to sway with their arms around each other.

"Here we are two very bewildered people. Here we are two babes that are lost in the wood." Rory softly sang along. "We're not quite certain what has happened to us." Rory dipped Amy and spun her as she laughed. "But right from here, the future looks awfully good." He finished singing with a kiss.

"How do you know this song?" Amy chuckled.

"How do you not?" Rory looked at Amy's blank face and sighed. "Strike Up The Band?... Mickey Rooney? Judy Garland?"

"And you're still surprised that I used to think you were gay." Amy laughed.

"You're real funny." Rory started to tickle her playfully. She laughed as they fell back on the bed together. "I love you, Amy. We'll get through this." Rory whispered as he caressed Amy's cheek.

"I love you too." Amy leaned in and kissed him then turned the radio down. "Do you ever miss electronic dance music? I never thought I'd miss dance pop so much." Amy reminisced about her past in the future. "Stop calling, stop calling. I don't wanna talk anymore." She started.

"I left my head and my heart on the dance floor." Rory chimed in.

"Stop telephoning me eh eh eh eh eh. I'm busy eh eh eh eh eh." The sang in unison.

"Nice, we can't remember when the second world war ends but at least we remembered Lady Gaga." Rory laughed.

"Remember having telephones... I miss phones. Do you remember Twitter? I'll never live to see a mobile phone ever again, will I?" Amy sighed.

"How about we stop focusing on the things we don't have." Rory kissed Amy and rested his head on a pillow. "Besides, I never really liked Twitter."


	8. Give Or Take A Few

"I remember when it ends now..." Rory looked out the window on a crisp August morning. "The bomb drops tomorrow..."

"What?" Amy walked in from the kitchen.

"6th of August, 1945. They'll drop another bomb in Nagasaki on the 9th." Rory continued to look out the window as he spoke.

"We have to do something!" Amy gasped.

"Really? You think you can stop it?" Rory turned to look at her.

"Haven't they seen enough carnage?" Amy's eyes began to tear up. "I know we can't change it but I'm still allowed to be angry." She yelled.

"Yeah..." Rory looked down at the ground solemnly. "It'll be over soon."

"Yeah the second world war will be over soon. Then we'll be in the 1950's with the red scare to look forward to." Amy rolled her eyes.

"You'll finally hear some rock and roll." Rory smiled.

"And TV in color!" Amy gasped.

"The Polio vaccine, thank God!" Rory sighed with relief.

"The baby boom!" Both of them spoke in unison. They stopped for a moment and just stared at each other.

"See... lots to look forward to." Rory's smile weakened a bit. He looked back out the window and watched some kids ride past on their bikes. He loved Amy and he always would. No baby, or lack there of, was ever going to change that. But it still hurt sometimes, he'd never admit to such a thing out loud but it was true. No matter how much he told Amy that it had nothing to do with her, it still hurt her too as if she were somehow personally responsible. He knew she had no choice in the matter. Her body was tampered with, without her consent. Their only child stolen from them in the process. Yes, they Melody again but it was too late for them to be her parents properly by then. Rory's consolation was that he basically ran the pediatric ward. He couldn't have asked for a better job.

Nine months after that fateful day, as if like clockwork, the maternity ward was stretched thin and growing overcrowded. The baby boom had come at last. Rory found himself running between the maternity and pediatric wards back and forth. "Dr. Williams?" A nurse stopped him. "We've got a girl in maternity asking for you specifically." They walked to the room where the girl was staying. "We were debating on whether or not to send her to pediatrics instead, seeing how she's young enough." She nurse rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, I'll take it from here." Williams nodded for her to leave.

The girl slowly sat up as best she could with her swollen tummy and spoke the second the nurse was out the door. "She was real bitch.." The girl scoffed.

"Hey, language..." Rory gave her a stern look. "Now how old are you miss...?" He looked through the girl's paperwork.

"Name's Alice, and how old are you, Doctor? Don't you know it's not polite to ask a young woman her age?" Alice replied.

"I'm 38... and a half... give or take a few..." Rory replied.

"Give or take a few what?" Alice chuckled.

"A few millennia." Rory smiled.

Alice laughed. "I'm 15... give or take a few.."

Rory grew a bit more serious again. "Can I ask if the father of the child is coming?"

"Oh, no..." Alice replied. "He's far too busy with his work." She looked out the window. "Do you remember me, Dr. Williams? It's been almost 5 years but I never forgot you. You said I was pretty, remember?"

"Judy Garland? Is that you?!" Rory gasped. Alice giggled excitedly and blushed. Rory gave a half smile and asked. "How's your dad?"

"Pissed off." Alice replied. "You should have seen the shiner he gave me when I told him..." Her smiled quickly faded as she held back tears. "He was a sailor, the baby's dad. We met in Times Square during the celebration. He grabbed me and kissed me, he said I was pretty." She looked up at Rory. "He said he loved me." The tears began to fall. "I tried to track him down when I found out and I sent him a letter but he never replied." She started to sob and Rory took a seat in the chair beside the hospital bed.

He took her hands in his. "You're going to be ok." He whispered.

"Oh, God! It's happening..." Alice started screaming in pain.

"Breath, Alice." Rory breathed with her as the nurses came in. "Just keep breathing like that and you'll be fine. I'll see you on the other side." He waved her goodbye.

Three and a half hours later, a baby boy was born at 7 lbs and 5 ounces. Rory came to see her on the other side just like he'd said. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Terrible..." She groaned. They both chuckled. "Doctor... Do you have any kids?" She asked suddenly taking Rory aback.

"Umm... no... I... my wife and I can't... we can't conceive. Medical complications..." Rory looked down at the ground.

"You want to though, don't you?" Alice smiled. "I'm sure you'd be the best dad in the whole world."

Rory chuckled. "I'd like to think so... But I have all of you, right. I have plenty of kids right here to look after." Just then Rory was quickly called to an emergency in another room. "Sorry, I have to go. You'll stay overnight but you should be ready to go later tomorrow." He gave the nurse some Alice's paperwork and ran out to attend to his emergency. After running around the hospital for a good thirteen hours, he finally got a chance to go home. It was nearly 2am and Amy was fast asleep so he tried to sneak into bed without waking her. But she'd felt him coming in.

She turned around and hugged him. "Hey.." She whispered sleepily and gave him a kiss on his nose. "Love you.. night night." She whispered as she fell back asleep.

Rory chuckled and kissed his sleeping wife on the forehead. "Goodnight, Amy."


	9. Tony

Rory got hardly 3 hours of sleep before the phone started to ring. Rory quickly picked it up, assuming it was an emergency from the hospital.

"Dr. Williams?" The nurse of the other line spoke. "Um... we've got a situation. If you can, bring your wife along. This may concern her too."

Amy and Rory ran to St. Vincent's just as the sun began to rise. "I was woken up at 5 am so there had better be a good reason. What does a hospital emergency have to do with me, exactly?" Amy sighed as they walked through the door and a nurse caught them.

"I'll show you..." The nurse guided them to the room where Alice had been staying. "We honestly have no idea where she's run off to but she left you this." The nurse handed Rory a letter. It read,

"My Dearest Doctor,

His name is Anthony. I have nothing to offer to the poor child, I know I'd be no good for him. I'm still a child myself. I wish for you and your wife to look after him for me. After I met you all those years ago, whenever my father got angry at me, I used to close my eyes and wish you were my dad instead of him. I love your wife's stories and I know Anthony's life will be filled with fantastic adventures, all thanks to her. If there was anyone who truly deserved to be a father, it would be you, Doctor. I know Anthony will love you very much, just as I have."

"You really have no idea where she's gone?" Amy asked the nurse. "She said she's just a child. How old is she?"

"She's 15 and we really don't know where she is. She didn't even give us a real last name. We tried looking her up, she's no one." The nurse shrugged.

"Is she homeless? Does she need medical attention? Honestly, nothing?" Amy asked, growing angry with the nurses' apparent apathy.

"Have you called the police?" Rory asked in a much calmer tone.

"Yeah, we gave a description but she could be anyone. Brown hair, brown eyes, 5'3" The nurse explained. "That description could fit half the girls in this whole city."

"Can he see him?" Amy asked. "Can we see Anthony?"

They walked to the nursery, "That's him" The nurse pointed through the glass.

Amy felt this crawling in her skin, a mixture of fear and excitement. "So he's ours now?" She whispered.

"As lovely as her letter might be, it's not a legally binding document." Rory explained. "We'd have to go through an adoption process."

"You're actually thinking of taking him?" The nurse asked.

"Of course, we are." Amy scoffed. "It's what she wanted and we'll love it and take care of it, just like she said." Amy pressed her hands to the glass.

"Adoption papers could take a few months to go through..." The nurse explained.

"Well, fine! Hurry up and fill out whatever paperwork you need to get it done! She sooner we do this, the sooner we can take Tony home." Amy ordered the nurse to leave at once to get the proper documentation.

"Tony?" Rory asked with a smile.

"It's short for Anthony, obviously." Amy pressed her forehead to the glass as she looked at the baby boy.

Rory came up behind her and hugged her, kissing her neck. "Amy, Rory and Tony. Has a good ring to it." He whispered. "Sounds like a family."

"Our family." Amy spun back around, her eyes watering. "But..." She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "We have to find her, the poor girl. I mean, just to know she's ok."

Rory kissed her lips, warm and salty with tears. "We will find her. In the meantime, let's get the paperwork going on the adoption to make sure Anthony's safe too."

Weeks turned to months with no sign of Alice. The papers were nearly complete while Tony waited in a nearby orphanage. "Hello, October!" Dr. Kelly grinned as he placed a pin up of Yvonne De Carlo dressed as a sexy black cat perched atop a giant pumpkin on the wall in the break room. Rory chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

"Dr. Williams?" A nurse peeked her head into the break room. "There's a man here to see you." She escorted him to the waiting room where a familiar, brutish looking man sat in a small plastic chair.

The man rose to his feet as Rory entered with his hands clenched in fists. "Where is he?" The man walked up to Rory. "Where's my grandson?" He stood nose to nose with him.

"Where's Alice?" Rory replied, unmoved by her father's threatening stance.

"I don't know!" Alice's father kicked a plastic chair over. "Just hand over the child. It's my right to see my own grandson!"

"You don't even know where your own daughter is." Rory scoffed.

"She's probably shacking up with whatever sap is stupid enough to take her in this week. She leeches off of men like ... like some kind of leech." Her father found it hard to search for words in his tiny brain. "And she just loved you, didn't she, Doctor? Even at 11 years old she was shooting those little doe eyes at any man who paid her any attention. She was always flirting with men everywhere she went, shameless whore."

Rory caught Alice's father by surprise with a fist to the jaw. "She wanted attention from you, you idiot!"

The man stumbled over the coffee table in the waiting room. "You.. you punched me! I... I'll rip you to shreds! When I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd never been born you little..."

"Is that how you threatened her?" Rory cut him off. "When you found out she was expecting, is that what you said before you hit her? She was a child, a pregnant child and you pushed her away. She had nowhere to go and now... She's all alone out there and you don't even care." Rory scoffed. "We've been looking, we've been investigating her whereabouts since her disappearance. It's been nearly 5 months and we've not heard a single word from you till now."

"She sent me a letter, no return address. She told me she'd given you the child." Her father placed his hand on his aching jaw.

"She was right to. You're incompetent, you're the lowest kind of man there is. You will never see your grandson. For as long as I live, you will never hurt another child again." Rory looked at the man, a pathetic old man with beer stained trousers and a swelling jaw. His instinct to nurse kicked in. "I'll fetch you some ice for that jaw." Rory walked out of the waiting room to leave the old man standing in stunned silence.


	10. Just Live

The letter came right before Christmas Day as if St. Nick himself had placed it in their mailbox, Tony was officially a Williams. They got to ring in the new year together. "1947. What happens in 1947?" Amy asked as they sat by the fire, Tony on Amy's lap with a rattle.

"I don't know." Rory shrugged. "It's kind of nice for a change, not knowing."

"It does sound a little exciting." Amy smiled. Amy picked up Anthony and stuck out her tongue at him. Tony shook his rattle excitedly and laughed. Amy laughed along with him and lifted him over her head to tickle his tummy with kisses. Amy placed him back on the rug by the fireplace next to Rory.

Rory looked at Amy. He was smiling but nearly in tears. "Second to my wedding day, this might be one of the happiest days of my life." Fireworks rang in the distance as Amy leaned in to kiss him.

"Happy New Year." Amy smiled as she kissed him again. "Did you want to umm... you know... ring in the new year in the bedroom."

"Sshh." Rory looked down at Tony.

"He doesn't understand us, you idiot." Amy nudged him playfully. "I'll take Anthony to his crib." She picked up Tony as he yawned. "See, he's half asleep already." Amy began to walk down the hall to Tony's room. "You'd better be ready for me when I get back!" She yelled to Rory from the other end of the hall.

"When am I not?" Rory replied as he snuffed out the fire in the living room and hurried to bed.

Mid-January came with a light dusting of snow. Amy pushed Anthony in his little blue pram down the halls of the shopping mall, tardis blue of course. She'd already purchased loads of new baby clothes and a little plush toy zebra that Tony picked out himself. He was in the pram with it, cuddling it while he slept as Amy decided it was time to shop for herself. "Oh, I like this one." She whispered as she smelled the bottle on display in the perfume department.

"Ah, yes. With hints of sandalwood and vanilla." The saleswoman stepped forward. "It's feminine but not overly sweet. Subtly strong."

"That is so typically me." Amy smiled. "I'll take that, thanks."

As the woman bagged Amy's purchase, she felt a tapping on her shoulder. "Um, hello... Sorry to bother you..." A teenage girl with bright head hair smiled back at her with a book in hand. "I'd love for you to sign my copy of Summer Falls... if it's not an inconvenience."

"Oh, sure thing." Amy laughed and took the book and pen from the young lady's hands. "You aren't a natural ginger like me, are you?" She smiled.

"No, it's dyed." The girl chuckled. "I'm normally a mousy old brown. I'll never look half as lovely as you, Mrs. Williams." Her big doe eyes looked up at Amy.

"Oh, sweetie. You look wonderful, of course. It's just that us redheads can sense each other, you know. We're a rare breed." Amy joked as she handed the book back to the girl. "I signed but didn't ask who to make it out to." Amy grabbed her perfume from the saleswoman.

"There's no need." The girl quickly put the book into her purse. The unnatural redhead looked down at the sleeping Anthony. "How is he?" She asked.

"Oh, he's great, very sweet. Doesn't fuss much." Amy smiled. "I think he's a gentle soul like his dad."

"Like your husband, you mean?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, like my husband..." Amy paused for a moment as she found the question a bit out of place. But she carried on. "Well, I'm glad you've been reading my books. It's a real treat to meet a fan, honestly. Thank you!" Amy waved goodbye as she pushed the pram down the hall towards the elevators.

Alice was moving away forever, off to California. She was going to be a star on the big screen. She just wanted to see Anthony one more time, to know he was happy. She followed them from a distance as they made their way back home. Dr. Williams greeted them at the door. He kissed his beautiful wife and picked up their child from the stroller. A sudden flash of jealousy ran through her. Alice wanted so much to hear the doctor say she was pretty one more time. Maybe someday they'd see her again in the movies. But until that day, this was goodbye.

As little Tony grew up, he could sense that his parents were different but he figured every child felt that way about their own family. He didn't talk like them and even though they'd been living in New York for over a decade, they still didn't try to act like Americans. "Ok, Shut up! It's happening!" Amy ran and sat down in front of the TV while Rory passed around the drinks. The year was 1953, Anthony was 7 years old and it was Coronation Day. They'd invited neighbors to watch.

"When do we get ice cream?" Tony asked.

"Ssshhh. Ice cream after." Amy ran up to the television and turned up the volume. "I miss remotes." She whispered to her husband. Tony always heard them say made up words, he figured it was weird adult stuff he didn't understand just yet. Anthony sighed in frustration and laid out on the rug looking rather bored by the whole thing.

"Hey, show your queen a little respect, Tony." Rory joked.

"She's not the queen of America so she's not my queen." Anthony replied reaching for his toy firetruck on the floor beside him.

"Ouch, that actually hurts a little." Rory looked at Amy chuckling.

"No matter what you do, he's going to be an American, Rory" Amy laughed.

"So the king of New York wants ice cream, does he?" Rory stood up and began walking to the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Anthony jumped up excitedly. "And we have Cokes! Make floats, Dad!"

"You've got terrible manners for a king, you know that?" Rory smiled.

"Sorry, sir." Anthony walked up to his dad. "Please, make floats, dad. And I can help. I scoop ice cream really good."

"Why thank you, your highness." Rory curtsied sarcastically. He chuckled as he watched Tony jump on a stepping stool to reach the freezer. He grabbed the big bucket of vanilla ice cream, hugging it with both arms. He was always thinking of Anthony's future and worried from time to time as most parents do. But it was different for Rory and Amy, they knew what could happen to him before it happened. "Should we tell him, about us?" Rory whispered to his wife as they watched him slurp up a float in front of the TV.

Amy wrapped her arms around her husband. "We can't keep living like this, counting down to the next catastrophe like we're living to death. Just live."

Rory passionately kissed his wife, picking her up in the the process. "Happily ever after."


End file.
